Estimated economic costs of dental implants among older South Korean adults, 2015–2018

Objective Dental implants are a considerable financial burden for elderly people and their caregivers. This study aimed to calculate the estimated economic costs of dental implants on the Korean older population. Materials and Methods The economic costs of dental implants for adults aged 75 years and older were estimated from a societal perspective, considering both direct and indirect expenditures. We used data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service for the period 2015–2018 to estimate the medical costs. Noninsured medical costs were estimated from research on medical expenses by the National Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Indirect costs related to transportation fees and time loss were obtained. The Cochran Armitage trend test was performed to examine the trend of the economic burden of dental implants. Results The estimated economic costs showed from 2015 to 2018 (total costs: $26.54–55.66 million, total costs after discount: $17.11–39.56 million). Direct costs, including insured and noninsured medical costs, represented from $25.81 to $47.03 million. Indirect costs, including transportation and time costs, ranged from $0.73 to $1.63 million. The impact of the total dental implant costs was 0.0018%–0.0034% of the Korean annual gross domestic product and 1.03%–1.59% of the annual total costs of dental care benefits. Conclusions The estimated economic burden of dental implants significantly increased from 2015 to 2018 in older South Korean adults. These results will provide a foundation and guidance for further health economic studies on the burden of dental implants in the elderly population.